We've already been enchanted by lead singles 'Dumb Luck', 'Rock & Roll Baby' and 'Fuselage', and now today's the day for Ōtautahi songwriter / producer to unveil , his second album as . Finalist in 2024 for the prestigious Taite Music Prize and Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Folk Artist at the Aotearoa Music Awards, Tom Lark spoke with about how his new record ponders personal upheavals, family history during the gold rush era, and the spirit of rock 'n' roll...

Tom Lark: I often think of this idea of historical archetypes, there are these weird moments that seem to mirror the past. My family spent a lot of their lives as prospectors, hanging out in the gold panning scene. I wonder if going about my artistic practice is like looking for gold, mining and sifting through a river of mud and weird experiences hoping to find something beautiful that resonates, relying on luck and making the best of circumstances.

The real question here is WHEN was Moonlight Hotel… There was a very cool explorer call George Fairweather Moonlight. He was really good at finding gold and used his money to set up a hotel in Murchison pre earthquake (he was also the town's unofficial sheriff). My (3rd) great grandmother was a barmaid there. I often think about what it must have been like to serve patrons, I’ve seen more than my fair share of westerns and if my research is accurate, I'm sure it would have sucked.

I think working independently or at least with a small team means you don’t have to wait for a cosmic alignment of diaries every time you’d like to release something. Perhaps in the past where I might have needed to feel validation or someone to affirm a single choice, I’ve found a sort of peace with my own footing and learnt that I’m far more interested in just focusing on what I’m making next.

‘Rock & Roll Baby’ is more written from a character perspective, it’s not strictly autobiographical, I feel like I’m singing from a viewpoint of someone older and more weathered than myself. I think Tom Lark could be an unconventional Rock’n dude? Only with regular glasses and sporting a cardigan over a leather jacket.

‘Fern Ridge’ is a little mood piece I made... sort of imagining someone playing piano in a saloon mid-afternoon, with no one around.

I have to find or hear the idea for the music or tonal palette first. If I can’t imagine what the album will sound like, I feel no urgency to make anything. Once I stumble into something, I can kick into gear and become really focused about it.

Oh yeh — I think maybe if there were music police officers they might’ve had something to say about it... In terms of whether the music is traditional, honestly it’s not something I’ve thought heaps about — I’ve always thought of genre as being more of a colourful Venn diagram. To me Brave Star was a psychedelic indie folk album. But Adam McGrath won, and I’m happy to say he was and is the best ‘Folk’ artist of 2024.

I think Tom Lark songs can be more introspective and meandering, maybe dance pop is better left more lyrically direct.

What is on the horizon for Tom Lark?

The Moonlight Hotel tour is this month playing Tāmaki on the 10th with Neive Strang, Pōneke on the 11th with Warm Regards, and Ōtautahi on the 12th with T.G. Shand.

'Moonlight Hotel' is out today, you can order the vinyl LP and compact disc editions HERE.